How many of YOU saw improvements in your intelligence after playing chess?

There are lots of studies and researches that say chess helps your brain and I've heard many chess players say that this is false.
I think most of you must have been playing chess for a long time, so I want to know if playing chess had any effect on your memory, concentration, alertness, problem-solving skills, creativity etc. and how much did it help you in real life?

I honestly don't know.  I've played chess for about a year properly and whilst I haven't noticed any improvement, becoming more intelligent in these areas doesn't happen fast.  But chess tends to make my head hurt so it's probably doing me good.

"How many of YOU"?

I don't understand the emphasis on that word, or how it would make your question or who it is addressing any clearer.

But if I were to ask you, "How many of YOU", I would have to also point out that two out of every one person is schizophrenic.

Now, as for chess and my intelligence... I've noticed improvement in little things.  For example, when someone asks me my name now, I'm usually able produce one within 5 minutes.

All depends on the way you take chess, as a fun game or seriously. Chess can help to organize your way of thinking, improve your concentration, alertness, make you can face a problem from many angles, and you gain in memory and other skills too, but only if you really try to learn with a method, taking courses or read books consisistently. Many of us only want to play blitz and with blitz you only gain a headache.

Chess has improved my ability to refrain from thinking I'm as smart as my intelligence test scores suggest.

first thing to clarify before replaying anything is "what do you understand as "intelligence"?"

But did YOU see imrovements in your intelligence after playing chess?

First of all, in wich way do you think it's possible to notice a "improvement of intelligence"? I mean, most of chess players start to play as kids, so the improvement on that would be really difuse and hard to notice. 

As for people who just began with the game, I'd say the only situation where they would have solid basis to say they've improved concern their common memory of the daily basis... 

IQ, memory, concentration, alertness, problem-solving skills, creativity and other things.

Yes, I definitely noticed an increase in my ability to tackle big problems logically.  I'm a much more analytical person since starting to work on my chess.

"other things?"  Please elaborate

Your gaze does look somewhat more focused now.

Nobody can change his IQ. But the way that you can use that IQ is far better after chess. Meditation and Raja Yoga is very good too.

Tests has proved that you can change your IQ! http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/03/07/you-can-increase-your-intelligence-5-ways-to-maximize-your-cognitive-potential/

That guys gaze in post 12 does look very focused. I'd definitely be intimidated if he were my opponent staring at the chessboard like that.

I didn't see your link yet, but I read: "5 ways to maximize your cognitive potential". That's what I said, you can maximize your potential using a methodic way of thinking, but your brain doesn't change its capacity. I'm gonna see the link right now.

I've been playing chess for all my life but I don't have a scale to measure the intelligence change or whatever.

 since playing chess my IQ improved to a lower IQ, and my chess continues to improve

I think my intelligence has actually diminished a little since I've been spending so much time on chess.

Proof?

I'm spending a lot more time on chess. ("The greatest waste of brains outside of an advertising agency").

Chess is a brain game. People interested in chess has an active mind. A mind that seeks stimulus to activate excitement. It is like gambling. It only improve your game skills but your IQ remains the same.